CGF asks India to fix condition of Games Village immediately

NEW DELHI: Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell on Tuesday asked the Indian government to take immediate steps to fix the condition of Games Village’s residential zone, which according to him, has “shocked” many contingents.

With just 12 days to go for the sporting extravaganza, the CGF chief has expressed doubts over the state of what he called a “seriously compromised” Games Village.

In a statement, Fennell said he had written to the Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrashekar and requested him to take urgent steps before the first batch of athletes arrive on Thursday.

“The final preparations for the Commonwealth Games Village have been of concern to the CGF since viewing the residential zone along with a number of Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) advance parties on September 15,” the CGF president said.

“Many issues remain unresolved and as such last night I wrote to the Indian Cabinet Secretary, expressing my great concern with the preparedness of the Athletes Village,” Fennell said in the statement.

“The condition of the residential zone has shocked the majority of CGAs that are in Delhi. However, with the Village to be officially opened on September 23, timely acceptable solutions to prepare for the arrival of athletes are of paramount importance.

“The CGF has asked the Cabinet Secretary to immediately deploy the necessary resources to fix all the outstanding issues to an acceptable level,” Fennell added.

Fennell’s strongly-worded statement came after advanced parties from New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland have raised serious concerns regarding the filthy and unhealthy condition of the residential zone of the Games Village.

“The Village is the cornerstone of any Games and the athletes deserve the best possible environment to prepare for their competition.

“Many nations that have already sent their advanced parties to set up within the Village have made it abundantly clear that, as of the afternoon of September 20, the Commonwealth Games Village is seriously compromised,” Fennell said.

He said problems have emerged because deadlines for the completion of the Village had been consistently missed.

“Now, the high security around the site, while vital, is slowing progress and complicating solutions,” Fennell added.

In the wake of Sunday’s firing incident on foreign nationals in the Capital, the CGF chief reiterated that security continues to remain of “utmost importance” to the Federation.

“Security remains of the utmost importance to the CGF and our advisors continue to monitor the situation. Currently, this matter remains on track,” Fennell said.

“CGF CEO, Mike Hooper, and his staff are already in Delhi and are keeping me constantly informed of the situation and developments,” he added. Indiatimes